Drip Tape

About drip tape: cost-effective, low pressure

Instead of emitter holes, Chapin Drip Tape has slits spaced 8” apart. The slits close when the water is off, almost eliminating most externally-caused plugging problems. Chapin Drip Tape is the best on the market, and is now available in home scale as well as commercial sizes.

Chapin Drip Tape features include:

Multiple Inlet Orifices (with multiple inlet filters) to ensure a continuous water flow to each dripper.

Unlike other tapes, Chapin Tape has a unique, extruded film profile with extra strength and thickness where it is needed most: the rounded tape edges increase resistance to abrasion and insect damage.

We offer three different thicknesses: 5 mil, which should last at least one year, 8 mil which should last 2-3 years, 15 mil which should last 3-5 years -- these years assume the Drip Tape is installed on the surface of the soil. All sizes will last much longer if buried 1"–4" below the surface. Protect against internal clogging by flushing your system for at least 30 minutes after “fertigating” (fertilizing while irrigating). Don't use Drip Tape if your water has heavy mineral deposits.

Drip Tape must be used on low water pressure (5–15 PSI), achieved by installing a pressure regulator. At 10 psi, Drip Tape with 8” spacing distributes 40 gallons per hour (GPH) per 100'. If you are using ½” poly as your supply line, you can run a total of about 600’ of drip tape off of each supply line.

Line layout depends on your soil and the water needs of your plants. When planting in beds, lines are usually spaced about 9” apart. Three parallel lines for a 3 ft wide bed, or four for a 4’ bed. Sandy soils might require closer spacing. On level ground, a single run should not be longer than 450’. Drip Tape needs to be kept flat, which can be achieved with U-Shaped Ground Staples. Install Drip Tape only on slopes of 3% or less. The more level the ground and the shorter the run, the more even or uniform the water flow will be throughout the run. If the run slopes downhill, more water will go to the end. If the run is too long, or goes uphill, more water will be emitted at the beginning.